Flix To Flex By

Both your mother and your old 4th-grade teacher would strongly urge against this. So would the U.S. Department of Education.

We, of course, are none of the above. So here’s a bit of advice next time you’re feeling a little bit lame and tame as you prepare to head off to the gym. Watch some TV.

This idea may seem as silly as the movies we’re about to suggest to you, but there’s nothing more inspiring than a good flick that gets the blood pumping and the juices flowing.

Many athletes and bodybuilders have claimed that their favorite flicks have energized them just before major competitions. So pour a glass of Met-RX, grab the remote control, and sink into the sofa for a little pre-workout jolt.

Here are some classic titles that will pump the testosterone into your veins and inspire you to stage a gym production of your own.

ROCKY IV: Okay, so the man can’t act. He can’t speak, either. And he’s not exactly going to serve you up the next “Schindler’s List.”

But nothing (other than a supermodel, perhaps) can get your heart racing the way a Sly Stallone flick does, especially in the fourth installment of the infamous “Rocky” series. The training sequences alone are breathtaking. The running, the crunches, the tree-chopping, the wagon-pulling. On the villain’s side, Dolph Lungren grinds through a hi-tech workout with machinery from the 22nd century.

Then there’s Rocky bolting to the top of the mountain, arms outstretched, as he echoes “Draaaaaago!!!” throughout all of Russia. Like that doesn’t make you want to squat 800 pounds!

Watching the shredded Stallone pound the tar out of the towering Ruskie in the final 15 minutes will make you want to conquer mountains of your own once you get to the gym.

As far as mindless inspirational filmography goes, this flick is the undisputed champ.

PREDATOR: For most of the movie, you can’t even see what the hell they’re chasing throughout the jungle. But it doesn’t matter. This is the ultimate action movie if you like watching sweaty muscle bound grunts running around amid mindless mayhem. Although Arnold is certainly in top form here, the 1987 spin-off of Alien also features Jesse “The Body” Ventura and a torn-up Carl Weathers (Apollo Creed from “Rocky”) adding to the fun.

Arnold’s climactic battle with the hulking space alien will jolt you with the impact equivalent of 12 cups of coffee.

BLOODSPORT: This movie, like its star, may not have a brain in its head but for pure violent entertainment, the name speaks for itself. This is probably the only Jean Claude Van Damme flick that wasn’t nominated for a Razzie. This movie was to Van Damme’s career what “Rocky” was to Stallone’s. It was the base for which all misery followed.

Watching the half-naked Muscles from Brussels pound the Chinese baddy into oblivion will make you want to do much of the same to your muscles at the gym.

And for the ladies...

G.I. JANE: Hide the electric shaving equipment, ladies. This movie is inspiring enough when it comes to kicking ass and taking names, but really, we don’t need you shaving your head over it.

The crew cut Demi Moore sports in this 1997 heroine flick is hardly the only eye-popping trait that she bears. Sporting a chiseled, shapely bod, the former Mrs. Bruce Willis has never looked better.

The boot camp sequences, in which Demi is seen rubbing elbows with Army platoon tough guys, will have you churning out an extra ten on the treadmill for sure.

TERMINATOR 2: JUDGEMENT DAY: We’re glad Arnold lived up to his promise of “I’ll be back.”

Not only did Schwarzenegger bring back a riveting sequel, he wisely brought along Linda Hamilton for the second ride as well.

With her character Sarah Conner, Hamilton may have revolutionized the stereotypical “badass chic,” sculpting her into a lean, mean Terminator-fighting machine. As rewarding as Arnold’s performance is in this 1991 smash hit, Hamilton’s stunts are just as juicy.

Eight years ago, she almost single handedly changed the face of women’s fitness, as millions of women flocked to the gym to blast away on those body parts, saying “Hasta La Vista” to nasty body fat.